Doggone Excellent Design

Over 25 years, Cooper has established many of the fundamental tools of design and applied Goal-Directed Design in disruptive ways, including service design, organizational design, and conversational interface design. Today we doggedly announce our newest practice: canine-centered design.

“There are 78 million dogs in the US. Canine-centered design is the next frontier. Design agencies singularly focused on human-centered design are barking up the wrong tree,” opines futurist and Cooper co-founder Alan Cooper, “Paw of Visual Basic” and design éminence grise.

To establish its expertise, Cooper partnered with some of the world’s leading veterinary schools and animal linguists. Cooper interaction designers conducted ethnographic research with 42 dogs representing different perspectives, from corgis to shih tzus. According to Principal Designer Jiwon Paik, “Dogs are surprisingly restless and unpredictable subjects. On the nights of the interviews, I literally dreamed in woofs.”

This process resulted in a first-ever dog persona — or pupsona — Matilda, a 5-year old (36 in dog years) miniature pinscher and chihuahua mix from Connecticut. See below.

When asked about rumors that chicken-centered design is the next big thing, Alan said, “We balk at the idea. Whoever is saying this should go to the pound.”

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